Summary
Quadrupedal walker-tank of the Adeptus Mechanicus, descended from the Mars Universal Land Engine and crewed by two Skitarii bonded to the war engine’s Machine Spirit.
Lore
The Onager Dunecrawler is a four-legged walker-tank fielded by the maniples of the Skitarii alongside the cohorts of Mars and her sister forges. A sturdy, ambulatory gun platform, the Dunecrawler is brought to bear where the front-line firepower of the Mechanicus must be reinforced against armoured foes. It is brimming with sanctified weaponry and is reckoned capable of out-classing many of the rugged vehicles fielded by the Adeptus Astartes.
Design Heritage
The Dunecrawler descends from the Mars Universal Land Engine (M.U.L.E.), an archeotech pattern of the Dark Age of Technology said to have been refashioned by the techno-archaeologist Arkhan Land. Originally a beast of burden patterned after the bad-tempered draft animals that bore their masters across Holy Terra, the M.U.L.E. was modified into a weapon of war, equipped with void-shielding, and replicated across the forge worlds in the millions. It carries the spirit of ancient mechanised troops — a venerated pattern, not an invention.
Armament
Standard configurations may mount:
- Neutron Laser — an armour-busting beam weapon, the mightiest gun the chassis can carry.
- Eradication Beamer — a short-ranged directed-energy projector requiring close approach to its target.
- Phosphor Blasters — incendiary phosphor weaponry that marks targets for the cohort.
- Coaxial Heavy Stubber — secondary fire support.
- Icarus Array — anti-air package of twin Autocannons, a Gatling Rocket Launcher, and a Daedalus Missile Launcher.
Crew and Machine Spirit
The Dunecrawler is meshed with a crew of two in a symbiotic rite. The gunner is a former Skitarii Ranger, valued for his accuracy. The driver is a former Skitarii Vanguard, his radiation-hardened flesh allowing him to be immersed in electro-amniotic fluid and commune directly with the walker’s Machine Spirit. The crew are treated as expendable power-cells; they perish in time and are replaced from the ranks.